NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1772, 10 June 1913, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

ißy Glencoe.l

Julian was entered for both hurdle races at the V.R.C. meeting which opened at Flominglon on Saturday, and which concluded yesterday. He was weighted at lOst. 111. in Saturday's race. The New Zealand-owned horse Sir Lethe wag awarded top weight (12st. 41b.) in the First Steeples at Randwick, run on Saturday last. As the cable was silent as to the matter, it is probable that ha was not started.

It was recently wagoTed in Sydney that a New Zealand-bred horse would win the A.J.C. Derby next season. Tho layer of this wager would seem to have anything but the best of tho deal. As Cherubin is not engaged, lie is practically relying on Soltano, Nightwatch, and the Sydneytrained Beau Soult. Against him there is tho field, and, up till tho present, it must bo said that last season's two-year-olds wcro (with the exception of Athenic. who is regarded as a sprinter only, md Berragoon) anything but on imposing lot. Still it not infrequently happens that two-year-olds that aro not heard of as such develop into champions a year later. Several notable instances in point could bo cited. Tho entry list for tho Derby this year contains over ono hundred njimcs, and, out of that number, the lryer of this weird wager is taking even money that ho "picks it in three.'

A movement is on foot among the racing clubs in tho North Island to present a testimonial to Mr. James "Walden, who recently rotired. after acting, as racecourse detective for twenty odd years.

Tho valuo of Derby winners in England ofton reaches very high figures. A cablegram from london tells us that Mr. C. Bower Ismay has received ,£30,000 for Craganour, who won this year's Derby, but was subsequently disqualified. A peculiar feature of tho values of these horses is that tho placed horses often fail to bring in shillings what the winner brings in pounds. The irony of it oil is that tho runner-up max lmvo been responsible for a much belter performance in tho identical race, even though, ho missed tho stake, but, if his owner cannot put tho word "Derby" in brackets after his name when ho is nt the stud, to is practically worthless. Breeders, of course, want to say that tho progeny of their marcs is by ft Derby winner, and they are prepared to pay for this. Both tho disqualified liorso and tho subsequent winner (Alboyour) are by Desmond—a son of St. Simon. In England there will now bo a rush to book mares to Desmond, ond, though there aro no figures available at tho present time, tho feo will cToubtless bo 400 guineas. When Valido ran second to Kwasind in tho Royal Handicap at Flemington on Saturday, ho carried 9st. 31b., and it(is giving tho winner a stone. English papers confirm tho Tep>rted salo of Tho Whit© Knight for X-10,000, so that ho undoubtedly ranks as tho highost-priccd thoroughbred evor sold. It was assumed that ho had been purchased for either Franco or tho Argentine, but it transpires that his destination >9 Russia.

A local sporting man was rccoutly dosirous of acquiring the II filly Pavlova, but slio was not for sale. Tlio sportsman who races as "Mr. Brighton" only holds Pavlova on leoso from her breeder, Mr. J. F. Reld. Mr. F. S. Easton's big Conqueror geldin" Waitoto was schooled over hurdles at° Flomington on Saturday, and jumped well. When last in Sydney, Mr. R. Wootton displayed his hostility towards the system of stipendiary stewards, whenover lie was asked to express an opinion, and that his ideas on the subjcct linvo not c/iangcd is to bo gathered from a press representative who interviewed him a fow weeks ago. Among other things, the> Sydney sportsman said: ''Frankly, bluntly, and emphatic-ally, I do not bclievo 111 the paid stewards system. They havo adopted it. as you know, in Australia, and I bcliovo it works well enough, I can t help thinking that it is a mistake. Sport is sport, nnd business ia bufiineflß, and it seems to mo as serious an error cf lodgment to introduce an element of business inlo spoit as it would bo to introduce <in element of sport into business hours. I'm not a believer in paid stowards at all, and I should bo sorry to see tho innovation tried here. After executing a pound gallon nt Adelaide recently, tho crack Wallace filly Moo dropped deod. In to ,er races, Mot> won tho last Victorian Oaks and the South Australia St. Lecor. Sho was bred and owned bv tho VieMrmn studmustcr, Mr. .T. Smith, of Bundoora. FIXTURES. Juno 18 and 10—ITawko's Bay .T.C. Winter. .Tune 25 and 2G-Napier Park R.C. Winter. July 3 and •t-Gisborne R.C. Steeplechase. July 16 and 10—Wellington R.C. Winter. August 12, 14, and IG-C.J.C. Grand National.